Kids Planet Midford Road

A loft room for babies and regular allotment outings give Kids Planet Midford Road a recognisable character: a small Bath setting where play extends beyond the building. Children can choose how to use open-ended materials, while community visits and visiting guests bring experiences from outside into nursery life. The appeal is practical as well as educational. Babies have a space of their own, and older children have opportunities to explore beyond familiar surroundings.

At its July 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the nursery Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised a curriculum that supported children's communication and future learning. Two teaching issues temper that assessment: quieter children needed more involvement outdoors, and older children needed greater challenge in activities directed by adults.

Previously called The Power of Play Nursery, this setting has capacity for 38 children and accepts ages from 3 months to 5 years. Its residential setting in Combe Down will appeal to families looking for a neighbourhood nursery with outings built into its approach.

Rooms and Ages

The loft room is reserved for babies and provides a calm space for the youngest children. That physical separation is a useful part of the nursery's character: baby care has its own environment rather than being described solely through activities for older children.

In July 2024, babies explored reflections using mirrors and experimented with sound by striking different objects together. These were simple experiences with a clear purpose: giving very young children opportunities to investigate what their movements could make happen. Staff also used clear speech, repeated words and face-to-face interaction with babies and younger children, connecting everyday play with language.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for learning, development and care, with play supporting children's communication, physical skills and growing independence. Midford Road's current approach uses materials children can explore in different ways, alongside teaching that responds to their interests. The emphasis is on children making choices and practitioners helping them take those choices further.

In July 2024, in the moment planning meant allowing children's ideas to guide activities, with adults choosing when to join in and extend the play. Children practised solving problems and persevering with staff alongside them. This gives parents a concrete picture of child-led learning: children choose an activity, but adults still have a teaching role.

Independence also appeared in ordinary routines that month. Children helped serve food, poured drinks and cleared their dishes, while older children practised putting on outdoor clothing. Using scissors offered another opportunity to develop hand control. These experiences connect learning with tasks children can increasingly tackle for themselves.

Outdoor and Community Life

Regular visits to the allotment, outings within the local community and guests visiting the nursery widen the day's experiences. Their value is the change of setting and the chance to encounter people and places beyond the nursery rooms. The allotment gives the outdoor offer a concrete destination.

In July 2024, outdoor rope swings provided opportunities to discuss risk and how to use equipment safely. Preschool children also enjoyed water play and scooters. Outdoor activity therefore included both physical movement and conversations about making sensible choices, although quieter children's participation needed more consistent attention.

Following a baby's familiar routine was an important part of care in July 2024. Staff adapted to individual care needs rather than treating babies as a single group with identical requirements. For parents making an early start with nursery care, that is a useful point of reference when discussing their child's feeds and daily rhythm.

Emotional support was similarly practical that month. Adults responded gently when children struggled with feelings and helped them work through the difficulty. Expectations about behaviour were communicated consistently, making support and boundaries part of the same approach.

The group-wide Famly app provides updates about children's nursery day at this branch. It offers a convenient connection during the hours families spend apart. In July 2024, communication with parents also included information about children's day and learning that could be used at home.

Freshly prepared food includes both meals and snacks, with provision for dietary needs. Private fees include these, together with sun cream, formula, wipes and nappies; days using funded hours have a separate charge structure, explained below.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 105 Midford Road, Bath, BA2 5RX. Opening hours run from 7.30am until 6.30pm on weekdays, across 51 weeks of the year. Opening hours and booked care are different: the Full Day session runs from 8am until 6pm, and the Full Time pattern uses those same daily hours.

Early Bird care covers 7.30am to 8am, providing an earlier start before the main day. Families comparing attendance patterns should distinguish that extension from the standard daytime booking. The closing time of the building does not change the Full Day session's stated finish.

Telephone and email enquiries go directly to the Midford Road team. A tour can also be booked, providing a route to discuss the nursery's spaces and the care a family needs.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare and privately paid care are both offered. Private fees include meals, snacks and the everyday consumables listed above, while meals, consumables and activities are charged separately on days when early years funding is applied. Those funded-day charges use different bands according to the funded hours used that day.

This distinction matters when comparing costs: an inclusive private fee and a funded booking can have different components on the bill. Families should use the nursery's current written quotation to compare the complete cost of their intended attendance pattern.

• Quieter children outdoors. In July 2024, confident children sometimes drew adults' attention away from quieter peers. During a tour, ask how practitioners now involve children who are less likely to join in independently.
• Challenge for older children. In July 2024, some adult-directed activities and questions did too little to stretch older children's thinking. Ask for an example of how an activity is adapted when a preschool child is ready for more.
• Early starts and session boundaries. Full Day care ends at 6pm, while Early Bird adds care before 8am. Confirm the booking that matches your collection and start times rather than relying on the opening window.
• Funded-day extras. Meals, consumables and activities attract separate charges on days using funding. Request a written breakdown for your chosen pattern, including how those charges are applied.

Midford Road suits families who value child-led play, a separate baby space and regular experiences beyond the nursery, including allotment outings. It accommodates standard daytime bookings and families needing an Early Bird start, with a Full Time pattern also offered.

The July 2024 Good judgement provides a useful quality reference, but participation outdoors and challenge for older children deserve attention when choosing. The strongest reasons to consider it are concrete: the baby loft, responsive teaching and community outings. The deciding details are equally practical: how your child will be included and how the booking and funded-day charges fit family life.